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Sikh fortress turban

Supported by

Asahi Shimbun

Unravel the stories of this warrior’s turban and
discover how and why turbans symbolise Sikh faith
and identity.

Sikhism is one of the youngest world religions, founded in India
over 500 years ago. Many Sikhs, including some women, wrap cloth
around their uncut hair, making a turban, and this is an important
symbol of their faith.

The magnificent turban on display in Room 3 is a rare example of
a distinct type known as a dastaar boonga, literally meaning a
‘towering fortress’. This style of turban was worn by a group of
Sikhs called Akali Nihangs. These skilled warriors used this type
of turban to hold their weapons, including daggers, swords and
deadly throwing discs. Some Akali Nihangs still wear this type of
turban today as a symbolic representation of this tradition.

It is unclear how long this turban has been in the Museum’s
collection, but it originally dates from the late 19th century and
had come to London by the early 1900s. The turban displayed
weapons, including two double-edged swords, six throwing discs, and
one dagger, and a badge of the 45th Rattray’s Sikh Battalion, which
eventually became the 3rd Battalion Sikh Regiment of the
present-day Indian Army.

The cloth in the original turban is now so fragile that Museum
experts have had to use new fabric to display the weapons and
badge. Members of the Sikh community, working closely with the
Museum’s experts, have reconstructed how it would have looked using
traditional tying techniques and 37 metres of cloth.

Come to this display to encounter a unique symbol of faith, and
hear members of the Sikh community explain why the turban remains
important to
them today.